When the Second Generation do not Lag behind: Evidence on the Academic Performance of Children of Immigrants in Andalusia

Abstract

This paper contributes to the knowledge about the academic attainment of children of immigrants in Spain and, specifi cally, in Andalusia. By using data from PISA, it is analyzed both the gap between immigrant and native students, and the effect that several variables of interest produce on such gap. Results confi rm the already known academic disadvantage of immigrant students, but they also reveal an aspect that has been scarcely spread: second generation pupils and those coming from mixed parental couples perform as well as their native peers do. Higher educational level of their parents and higher household socio-cultural level contribute signifi cantly to their outcomes.